Traffic, neglected roads, transportation agenda part of the Pearl City town hall

Up close and personal with the mayor. People went to Pearl City, to Mayor Kirk Caldwell's first town hall stop Thursday night.

"Getting before these communities, hearing what they have to say, they all have these unique concerns and problems," said Caldwell.

"I was born and raised in Pearl City and it's getting crowded, and traffic especially in the Walmart area," said Patricia Milon.

And, neglected roads are a big concern in Pearl City, which the mayor says is a major problem for those island-wide. Caldwell and his team outlined their plan to rebuild 1,500 miles of city road, at a cost of $150,000.

"Our plan is aggressive. I think we are going to try and finish up the rest of the island in five years," said Chris Takashige, director of design and construction.

Jack Legel, who uses the bus, went to hear Caldwell's public transportation agenda first hand.

"A lot of people use the bus to go to work, and to and from work. And a lot use the bus system and I want to know his plans for restoring bus stations," said Legel.

The mayor's plan is to budget $3.5 million more for the next fiscal year to start up six more bus routes.

Thursday's meeting was just the first of six town halls. Next, the mayor heads to Kaimuki High School, to hear from Honolulu residents. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m Monday.

Clients of The Arc in Hawaii resumed the frequency of its weekday excursions Monday with the restoration of Route 14. However, other city bus riders say the frequency of the route is still not up to par.

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A bill to rezone agricultural land in West Oahu faced the people who live in that community Monday night. After passing a first reading last week, a city council committee brought Bill 3 out for a public hearing.